Are Crocs ugly?  There are websites devoted to their derision.   The proprietary resin ("NOT plastic NOR rubber") shoes have even won Ugly Shoe of the Year awards.  The company's stock, OTOH, has had a pretty good run since its IPO in early '06.  It IPO'd at 21; it closed Friday above 47.

Financial pundits have debated the staying power of the company and its Croslite (TM) clogs.  Now Crocs have finally made it to my Sunday morning reading via the NYT Magazine.  I tend to view this as something of a milestone.  Even if Crocs are just a fad, NYT coverage arguably elevates them to bona fide cultural phenomenon status.  So I wandered around the company's website for a little bit.  The quick history of the company goes like this:

Its (sic) all started when three Boulder, Colorado based founders decided to develop and market an innovative type of footwear called Crocs™ shoes.

Originally, Crocs were intended as a boating/outdoor shoe because of its slip-resistant, non-marking sole. By 2003 Crocs had become a bona-fide phenomenon, universally accepted as an all purpose shoe for comfort and fashion.

I also found out the originals now come in college colors, which for some reason I find endearing.  My kids wear the original ugly ones, too, as does just about every kid in their preschool and many of the parents.  So far my wife and I haven't succumbed (though for me, it's just been about finding my size in a color I can stand).  Probably a shoe and a company to watch.

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